Bluetooth intercom accessory for helmets
OwnerAnthony Livanoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wireless communications and light emitting diode (LED) device compatible with conventional helmet structures and adapted, while the helmet is being worn, to effectively illuminate likely illumination targets with an internal lighting device. More particularly, the accessories and applications according to various embodiments of the present invention make use of wireless communication and lighting devices to provide advantages in helmet use, with the ability to answer phone calls, communicate between rider-to-rider or rider-to-passenger, intercom talk hands free, ability to listen to music or voice instructions from GPS navigation, and noise cancelation, for safety, and convenience for the end user.
Claims20
A vehicle helmet, comprising:
- a helmet portion and
- a communications accessory securable to said vehicle helmet, wherein said vehicle helmet portion comprises a substantially continuous wall adapted to extend around the head of a user, said substantially continuous wall comprising right and left sidewall portions, a front wall portion and a rear wall portion, and said helmet wall portions each having a respective inside surface and a respective outside surface, said accessory comprising:
- (a) a housing;
- (b) a clip adapted to be secured to one of said sidewall portions of said a helmet, said clip comprising:
- i) a resilient tongue member for engaging the inside surface of the helmet,
- ii) a clamp member for frictionally engaging the outside of the helmet, wherein the clamp member comprises a frictional member comprising a rubber-like material, said frictional member configured, positioned and dimensioned to bear against the outside surface of the helmet, said frictional member including a forward frictional portion and a rearward frictional portion, said forward frictional portion and said rearward frictional portion defining a space therebetween, and said forward and rearward frictional portions having a thickness, said resilient tongue member mounted at a position on said clip where it is springingly urged toward the space between said forward and rearward frictional portions, said space being defined by the thickness of the forward and rearward frictional portions whereby the helmet is engaged by said forward and rearward frictional portions at two different points, said points being separated from each other and said clip is secured against rotation by the frictional engagement at said forward and rearward frictional portions;
- and
- iii) a securement member for securing said tongue member to said clamp member;
- (c) an engagement member positioned on said clamp member;
- (d) a mating engagement member positioned on said housing to snappingly engage and secure said housing to said clip, whereby said housing may be secured to the helmet;
- (e) a wireless communication system, having an audio input and an audio output, said wireless communication system being secured to said housing, said wireless communication system being configured to connect to the audio system in a smart phone;
- (f) a first connective system for connecting said audio output to a sound producing member located on said helmet;
- (g) a second connective system for connecting said audio input to a microphone located on said helmet;
- and
- (h) a light-emitting device emitting light positioned within said housing, said housing with said light-emitting device being positionable to direct light forward from said helmet when said housing is secured to said helmet, whereby objects may be viewed by an individual while the area in front of the user is also visible to the user.
A communications accessory system for deployment on a plurality of helmets, said helmets each comprising a substantially continuous wall adapted to extend around the head of a user, said substantially continuous wall comprising right and left sidewall portions, a front wall portion and a rearwall portion, and said helmet wall portions each having a respective inside surface and a respective outside surface, said system comprising a plurality of communications accessories for attachment to respective vehicle helmets, each of said communications accessories comprising:
- (a) a chassis;
- (b) a clamp adapted to be secured to a helmet via a resilient tongue member and a frictional member;
- said frictional member including a forward frictional portion and a rearward frictional portion, said forward frictional portion and said rearward frictional portion defining a space therebetween, and said forward and rearward frictional portions having a thickness, said resilient tongue member mounted at a position on said clamp where it is springingly urged toward the space between said forward and rearward frictional portions, said space being defined by the thickness of the forward and rearward frictional portions whereby the helmet is engaged by said forward and rearward frictional portions at two different points, said points being separated from each other and said clamp is secured against rotation by the frictional engagement at said forward and rearward frictional portions
- (c) an engagement member positioned on said clamp;
- (d) a mating engagement member positioned on said chassis to secure said chassis to said clamp, whereby said communications accessory may be secured to a respective helmet on at least one of said sidewall portions;
- (e) a wireless communications system, having an audio input and an audio output, said wireless communications system being secured to said chassis, said wireless communications system being configured to connect to the audio system in a smart phone, said wireless communications system being further configured to communicate directly with other similarly configured communications accessories, whereby the wireless communications system provides a wireless intercom function;
- (f) a first connection member for connecting said audio output to a sound producing member located on said helmet;
- (g) a second connection member for connecting said audio input to a microphone located on said helmet;
- (h) electronic circuitry coupled to said wireless communications system;
- and
- (i) first and second electrical button switches, said electrical button switches being coupled to said electronic circuitry, said electronic circuitry being configured to make a command input determination by sensing whether an actuated electrical button switch is closed for a short period of time, and/or for a relatively long period of time, and or two electrical button switches are pushed simultaneously, and wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to perform different commands in response to different command input determinations to control the operation of said wireless communications accessory and other functionalities.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.